Alina Angel Chasing New Dream [top] – Direct Link

The journey has not been easy. The first hurdle was financial. While a celebrated athlete in her home country, Alina was not a global superstar. Prize money and sponsorship dried up quickly after retirement. To fund her flight school, which costs over €60,000 for full training, she sold her competition leotards, launched a small online business selling handmade gymnastics grips, and took a night job as a hotel receptionist.

As of this month, Alina has logged 147 flight hours and is preparing for her instrument rating exam. The girl who once tumbled across the world’s biggest stages is now learning to navigate by the stars. alina angel chasing new dream

“There were mornings I would study meteorology and navigation for four hours, sleep for two, then go work a double shift,” she recalls with a tired smile. “My body hurt differently than it did after a World Championships. But the pain of giving up on a second dream? That would be worse.” The journey has not been easy

“On the competition floor, everything is measured. The music, the space, the time,” she explains. “In the wilderness, flying a small plane, nothing is measured. You read the wind, the clouds, the land. It’s the most free I have ever felt.” Prize money and sponsorship dried up quickly after